Sunday's Notebook

October 21, 1985

The Atlanta Braves have signed Claudell Washington to a 1-year contract. Washington's representatives notified the team late Friday night he would accept the club's offer of a single year at his 1985 salary of $750,000, The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution reported Sunday. Washington had indicated he might try for a better contract elsewhere, but took the Braves' offer just one day before they reportedly were set to withdraw it. Washington, 31, batted .276 with 15 home runs, 43 RBIs and 14 steals in 399 at-bats in '85. New Braves Manager Chuck Tanner told Washington he would leadoff and be Atlanta's regular right fielder. Tanner: ''I told him, 'This 1986 will be the best year of your career, and then you can think about a longer contract.' Claudell will have his best year ever. We don't have much speed. I want him to lead off. With him on base, third baseman Ken Oberkfell will hit even better. Claudell hasn't even come near what he is capable of.'' Washington's best performance in the major leagues came in his first full season, 1975, when he batted .308 with 10 homers, 77 RBIs and 40 steals for Oakland. He stole 37 bases for the A's under Tanner in 1976, but has not equaled that total since. Tanner: ''I'll kick him, and I'll hug him. He can be a great player. He's got a lot of ability. He gives us the speed we need.''